This invention relates generally to agricultural machines having a rotatable pick-up reel for lifting crop from the ground into the machine, and, more particularly, to an improved device for connecting individual tines to rotating bars of the pick-up reel.
Pick-up reels used in agricultural machine comprise a plurality of parallel tine bars arranged in a cylindrical pattern which is rotated about a central axis. Individual tines are connected to the bars and extend generally outwardly to engage the crop material. The tine bars may be individually rotated dependent upon the reel rotational position vary the position of the tines relative to the reel rotational position, such as for folding the tines inwardly at a point in the rotation to release the crop material for feed into the machine. Tines are typically connected to the tine bars using a variety of bolts, clips, or cast mounts, all of which increase the total part count of the reel and hence, increase production costs. On reels used in agricultural balers, the connection of the tine to the tine bar is subjected to higher loadings compared to reels used to urge a standing crop into a cutterbar. In baler applications, the tines are required to engage and lift crop material from a windrow on the ground and raise the material to a height at which it can be fed into the baler. These increased tine loads require more robust tine mounts connecting tines to tine bars.
One particular tine mount used by common assignee to this application comprises a bolt, clip, and casting to connect tines to the tine bars. The casting is necessary to provide a sufficient contact area between the tine and the tine bar to adequately distribute stresses. Aside from a high part count for reels using this connection assembly, these mounts have demonstrated a tendency to erode the tine at the clip interface leading to premature tine failures.
It would be advantageous to have an improved mounting device for attaching a tine to a tine bar in a pick-up reel that provides a suitably robust connection, reduces the part count compared to known devices, and reduces the risk of erosion or fretting of the tine by the tine mount device during operation.